A UNC Health doctor and pilot were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a small plane crashed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).
Sky 5 was able to fly over the crash site at 11:45 a.m. after a ground stop at RDU was lifted. The ground was littered with debris and the aircraft sustained significant damage to its front.
As of 11:56 a.m., at least 65 delays were reported to RDU.
According to Broadcastify radio traffic, two people were on board the plane that crashed near Gate 15. The crash occurred on a secondary runway at RDU around 10:15 a.m.
Broadcastify radio traffic provided some details: “Small plane downed with two injured; one trapped… extrication in progress.”
UNC Health released a statement after the crash, noting that the plane was carrying a doctor and a pilot.
“UNC Health has learned that one of its UNC Air Operations medical planes crashed this morning at RDU. The plane was carrying a doctor and the pilot. Both were taken to the hospital. We are working to collect more information ‘information.”
The plane, a single-engine Socata TBM-700, is owned by Medical Air Inc. FlightAware showed the plane took off from Wilmington.
A large number of emergency responders could be seen gathered near the small plane.
“The Airport Authority is responding to an accident involving a general aviation aircraft near RDU’s secondary runway, 5R-23L,” RDU said on X. “The airfield is currently closed to flight operations. Check with your airline the status of the flight.”
Before the ground shutdown was lifted, the airfield was closed to flight operations, which meant no flights were entering or exiting RDU. All inbound flights to RDU were held at their point of origin until 11:30 a.m., according to Flightaware.com.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
WRAL News is working to discover the cause of the accident.
